


The Magic In Us

by felicitous



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Nymphs & Dryads, Omega Tony Stark, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 22:04:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18860011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/felicitous/pseuds/felicitous
Summary: When Tony's parents are murdered by their closest adviser, their murdered arranges to marry him for control of the kingdom. On the night of the wedding, he flees the castle with the help of his friends. Finding himself alone in the supposedly dangerous Amerial woods, he seeks out the mysterious Captain Rogers for help.





	The Magic In Us

As Tony watched fire swallow the pyre his parents rested on, he became certain that this was the worst day of his life, which was really saying something all things considered. Even now, the man who had killed them stood beside him, a heavy hand resting on the young man's shoulder in a silent threat. In just a few hours he was supposed to become his bride, eternally tied to Obadiah Stane, his father's traitorous adviser.

Stane had taken their lives when they had told him that Tony was to be betrothed to someone known only as ‘Captain Rogers’. And now that they were gone, there was nothing to stop him from taking their kingdom, and their son. Tony's stomach still churned as he thought of the show Stane had put on while addressing the council yesterday. He had claimed to be heartbroken over their loss, blaming an assassin for the deed, and that he feared what would become of their great kingdom as clearly their omega son couldn't rule on his own. He claimed that since Tony had not yet been officially betrothed, that he was willing to step in and be the alpha he so clearly needed. The council had eaten it up, praising him for his selflessness in such a difficult time, and decided they would be wed as soon as the funeral for their lost king and queen was finished. It made him sick; he knew all too well the kind of man Stane was, and he'd been trying to warn his parents for years. Then, at last, when his parents finally came around to see the truth and refused to give the man his hand in marriage, they were rewarded with a knife in the back.

“It's time to get ready,” Stane leaned down to whisper in his ear before stepping away to let two servants take hold of him. “Don't disappoint me.”

The only thing that kept Tony from spitting in the mans face was the looming threat of him ‘culling’ the serving staff. Tony wasn't about to let others die for a moment of spite. So instead, he let himself be dragged off towards the castle, the acrid smoke trailing after him like a final fleeting goodbye from his parents. He couldn't bring himself to look back, if he did there would be no holding back the sorrow that filled his soul. He couldn't afford to be weak right now, not when his country depended on him to keep them safe from a mad man.

The handmaid's assigned to him worked quick, replacing his mourning black, with a nearly luminous white gown with loose sleeves that hung off his shoulders. They cooed over the elegance of it as they tightened it laces around his middle, but he hated it with every fiber of his being. His parents had never made him wear a dress in his life, and to him is was a sign of subjugation. It showed him that all he would ever be to Stane was an omega, not a person worth respecting, but that really wasn't much of a surprise. He'd been the one to convince Howard that Tony's presenting as an omega would only bring shame upon their family, that no one would ever accept his rule. The only pleasure he saw now was that the sheer fabric of the dress failed to obscure the light of on his arc-rune. It would serve as a constant reminder that one of the very things Stane hated most was what kept Tony alive; magic.

Tony had designed it with the help of a mage named Yinsen when he had been kidnapped and gravely injured as a boy. Tony had designed the cradle that held the stone, an intricate sphere of twisting silver metal. It had been Yinsen who had crafted the soft blue rune stone that rested inside it, nullifying the poisoned sword shards that were buried in his skin. Tony both loved and hated it. It was the only reminder of the man who had given his life for him, but he would also be burdened by it for the rest of his life. If the stone was removed the poison would instantly began to take effect again, killing him in just a few agonizing hours. Luckily for Tony, he was no good to Stane dead. Until they were married that was.

If the two women noticed the faint light, they said nothing of it, simply continuing with readying him as they had been instructed. With his dress perfected they moved onto his face, lining his eyes with kohl and a soft blush to his cheeks. When they went to paint his lips red, he threatened to bite. It didn't take much convincing after that for the woman to decide continuing with the makeup wasn't in their best interests. The final touch was his veil, a thick gauzy thing that he could barely see through, he supposed it was there to make fleeing more difficult since it would be considered uncouth for Stane to simple have Tony blindfolded and bound.

A knock came at the door then, startling him out of his misery as his assistant slipped into the room. Pepper ran her eyes over him in a look of well masked sorrow before she turned her attention to the handmaidens. “Would you mind giving me a moment along with the prince? I have something for him, a gift his mother wanted him to have on his wedding day.”

The two woman glanced at each other nervously, then at Tony, before sighing and nodding. “Very well, but be quick, the ceremony is starting soon and we’d rather not get in trouble for him being late.”

Pepper nodded her thanks and waited for the two to leave before she crossed the room. She ripped the veil from his head and pulled him into a quick hug, using the intimate closeness to whisper into his ear. “Rhodey is waiting just outside your window with a horse and supplies.”

“I, you, what? No. I can’t. If Stane finds out he’ll kill you, all of you. I can’t allow that to happen,” Tony protested almost instantly, pulling back just enough to be able to look at her.

“And what is to stop him from killing you then everyone else once he’d married you?”

“Fair enough,” he’d been considering the same thing.

“You’ll find help in the Amerial Woods, that’s where you’ll find Captain Rogers. Rhodey will go with you, but Jarvis and I are going to stay here to keep an eye on Stane,” she paused and simply stared at him for a moment before pulling back and opening the small box she’d been holding. 

She pulled an intricate pearl necklace from it and held it out for him to take. Tony lifted it slowly, eyes following the intricate twists and weaves the strands of pearls took before coming to rest against his family's crest. His eyes burned with unshed tears as he clasped it around his exposed neck. “Where did you get this?”

Pepper shrugged, clearly having no intention of telling him. “Like I said before, your mother wanted you to have it. The Captain should recognize it, and by proxy, you. Now, go, the longer you wait the less chance we have of this working. I’ll go distract those two outside.”

She gave him one last hug before pulling away and slipping out the room. Tony watched her go with a sigh then turned his gaze to the window Rhodey was supposedly waiting at. He didn’t have time to change, so he settled for hiking up his dress and pulling on the boots he’d been wearing previously. There was no way he was fleeing in heels. Once his boots were on and laced, he moved over to the window and smiled down at his friend. A grappling hook was secured into his window ledge with a thick piece of rope trailing down from it. Taking a deep breath to steel his resolve, Tony climbed out and began his descent. 

His hands burned by the time his feet hit the earth, but he barely noticed it over the adrenaline that was beginning to race through him. Rhodey waited on the horse in full armor, looking about them before offering his hand to help Tony up. Tony settled on the saddle behind him and held on tight as the horse took off. As they raced from the castle grounds, Tony heard the alarm bells begin to ring as shouting filled the courtyard; they’d been found out. He prayed that Pepper was alright as they continued on, he would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to her, or Jarvis for that matter.

It wasn’t long before the thunder of horses closed in behind them and Tony felt his heart sink. The Amerial Woods were in sight, but there was no guaranteeing their safety even if they made it. Especially as the woods were rumored to be the home of monsters and bandits. Everyone knew they were dangerous. But right now he was certain it was better than the certain death behind him. He felt Rhodey give his horse a kick, driving it harder and he held on tighter, risking a look behind them as he did.

Obadiah Stane road at the front of the pack, followed by a full squad of men who were loyal to him, likely the same ones who had helped him cover up the true cause of Howard and Maria’s deaths. Tony’s heart was in his throat as he watched a few of the men draw their bows, nocking arrows as they continued to ride, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop them.

They were almost to the tree line when the arrows flew. Most of them landed in the dirt around him, but as a sharp whinny filled the air and he began to pitch forward, he knew one of them had hit home. The horse hit the ground hard, sending its two riders flying. Tony hit the ground with a gasp, dirt flying around him as he struggled to regain the breath he’d lost. Rhodey landed beside him, rolling up to his feet almost instantly and brandishing his sword. 

“Go, Tony, I’ll hold them off,” Rhodey ordered, his voice sharp. He may have simply been a beta, but he knew how to use the commanding tone of an alpha. 

Tony shook his head defiantly, rising to his feet. “No, I won’t leave you. Just come with me. We can lose them in the trees.”

Rhodey glanced down at his leg and sighed. “I can’t. I’ll only slow you down. Now, get out of here.”

Tony followed his gaze and realized that despite how quickly he’d managed to get up, his leg was bent the wrong way, most of his weight now resting on the other one. He was right. Tony hated it when he was right. Cursing, he ran a hand through his messy hair and turned. “I’ll be back for you, I swear it.”

The knight gave him a quick smile. “I don’t doubt that.”

Tony took a deep breath, eyes lingering for a brief moment on the approaching men, then he took off. The field was uneven under his feet, the tall grass obscuring the small hills and deep trenches that filled it. On more than one occasion he felt his foot catch in a hidden hole, sending him stumbling forward, but he kept going. He couldn’t stop now. A panicked determination filled him as he ran. He would find this ‘Captain Rogers’ and he would make him help him take back his kingdom, no matter the cost.

When his legs finally gave out, he was well into the forest. He had no idea how long he had been running, but he couldn’t hear the sound of a pursuit. Tony collapsed against the trunk of a large, twisting oak tree. His legs shook with exhausting and his lungs burned s he slid down it to sit in the soft dirt, but he knew he couldn’t stay for long. If Stane’s men didn’t find him, surely something else would.

He stayed there until his breathing evened out then stood slowly and did his best to brush himself off. The dress was a lost cause, tattered and stained with mud as it was. He was certain he looked a mess, but his mothers necklace was still secure against his throat. Tony took a deep calming breath as he ran his fingers against the embossed crest. All he needed to do now, was find whoever this Captain Rogers one; a task easier said than done. The first step would be making sure he didn’t get lost.

He turned his attention to the tree he had been resting against, it’s gnarled branches spread out around it creating a dense canopy of leaves. It would make a good base, a place he could return to should he need. He carefully scraped an ‘X’ into the moss that coated a good section of the trunk, exposing the damp bark beneath. It was a hard tree to miss, but now he would know for certain should he get turned around.

Making his mind up to work in sections, walking a distance before angling himself back, he readied himself to delve further into the forest. As he did this the sound of crunching leaves filled the silence behind him and his heart sank. He turned slowly to see a large beast creeping out from the darkness. He had never seen anything like it before. It seemed to be some kind of mix between a wolf and a bear with shaggy brown fur and dark eyes. However what struck him the most was the creature’s missing arm, and that while crippled it didn’t seemed the slightest bit deterred.

As the creature stalked closer, Tony considered his options. He could run, however he was exhausted and it would surely catch him, running might even egg it on. Fighting was out of the question, the thing was bigger than him and he had no weapons. He could try climbing the tree but once again the creature had size on it’s side. So he settled for the only other things he could think of; talking. “Uh, hi there. Aren’t you a big fella? I promise you don’t want to eat me, I’d taste just awful and I doubt I’d be very filling. Besides I, I’m here looking for someone, maybe you know him, you look like you get around, uh, no offense meant I just, shit. Captain Rogers? Ever heard of him? I just did for the first time the other day, but I was told he could help me, and I-”

The beast gave a growl at the name  and closed the distance between them. But it didn’t attack, instead it stared tony in the eyes and sniffed at him. He was shaking in his boots as the creature breathed him in and but he did his best to meet it’s stare. “My, my name is Tony Stark, and I, my parents were just murdered so if you want to kill me, just get it over with, but if not, if you know who I’m talking about could you please help me find him.”

Whatever he’d said seemed to help the beast make up it’s mind. It took a few steps back, gaze briefly lowering to the necklace before turned to face the section of forest it had come from. It’s head tipped back and it released a howl so loud that Tony thought he might go deaf from being so near it. But it didn’t last long and when it finished it settled down in the dirt and rested its head on it’s single front paw.

Tony watched it warily for a moment before settling down against the tree once again. “So, uh, sitting, that’s what we’re doing now? No like ‘take me to your leader’ stuff? Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely glad you didn’t go with the killing me option, it’s already been a really bad day so that would just be the icing on the cake.”

Looking over its shoulder, the beast gave him a withering glare before huffing and laying it’s head down again.

“Oh, alright, quiet time, I see. I can do that. Just think of me as your very squishy nightlight in this dark spooky forest. I’ll keep you safe from all the big scary monsters that don’t dare step into the light, like, uh, I dunno. Is there anything scared of the light here?”

All he got in response was another huff, as if the beast was sighing in exasperation as his rambling. But he couldn’t help it. It was what he did when he was nervous and now that he had started there was almost no stopping him.

“I’m sorry. I’m nervous, alright? It’s been one hell of a week, did I mention that my parents were murdered? No, yes, yeah, I did. But yeah, straight up murdered by their adviser, that son of a bitch. I told them they couldn’t trust him, that he wanted the kingdom for himself, but no I was just being paranoid. But then boom they were like ‘Oh Tony we are going to marry you of to some captain guy you’ve never met not our super suspicious adviser’, which I mean I’m not really down to marry some dude I don’t even know, but it’s better than marrying Stane. But then Stane found out and he was like ‘Surprise! You’re dead now and I’m going to marry your son then probably murder him so the kingdom can be all mine’. I bet he even did that menacing hand rub thing as he laughed to himself evilly, Gods I hate him. And my friends helped me escape just before the wedding, hence this stupid dress and then- What was that?”

The gentle sound of crunching leaves and creaking branches came from the darkness once again. Tony stood slowly, eyes shifting between where the sound had came from and the beast laying before him. It’s eyes were on the trees but other than that it didn’t show any signs of moving. At last, a large man emerged from the shadows and paused to take in the scene before him. He was surprisingly well groomed, his short blond hair slicked back and his thick beard trimmed short to frame his face. Even his leather armor seemed to be in good shape as it clung to his muscular form.

When his intense gaze moved over Tony, he had to suppress a shiver as it made his insides warm. This wasn’t the time. The mans’ gaze only lingered for a moment, catching on his necklace just as the beasts had. He turned to face it then as it rose slowly to its feet. “What’s up Bucky? Who’s your friend?”

The beast, Bucky, huffed as it turned to look at Tony and nodded it’s head at the man.

Tony ran a hand through his tangled hair and stepped forward. “Hi there, Tony Stark. I’m, I’m looking for a Captain Rogers, do you know where I can find him?”

A smile pulled at the man’s lips as he stepped forward as well, offering his hand. “You just did, but you can call me Steve.”

***

Obadiah Stane stood above the unconscious knight’s body and stared out into the forest. Going in there would be a death sentence for him, but he couldn’t allow the boy to find help. If it got out that he had been the one behind the Stark’s death, it would be over for him. He might be able to spin this in his favor though, claim Tony had hired the assassins and fled into the night to ally with the monsters of the forest. The boy was practically a monster himself after all with that stone in his chest. Making up his mind, he turned his attention to his waiting men.

“I need you to go in there and find him. Bring him back alive if possible, but if he gives you too much trouble do what you must. Everyone else is expendable. I’ll take our brave knight back to the castle and see what he has to say for himself.”


End file.
